US stocks slide on economic tremors from Europe

A collection of worrying news out of Europe sent stocks sharply lower on Wall Street Monday..New reports showed that European government debt continues to pile up despite severe budget cuts, which have led to unrest across the continent. The government of Holland collapsed Monday and French President Nicolas Sarkozy lost the first round of the country's presidential election to a Socialist candidate..The Dow Jones industrial average dropped 130 points to 12,899 as of noon, following steep declines in Europe. The euro fell against the dollar and U.S. Treasury prices rose.."The main concern today is the stability of the euro zone as a whole," said Dan Greenhaus, chief global strategist at the brokerage BTIG..Figures reported by the European Union's statistics office confirmed the effects of budget-cutting programs on countries that use the euro currency. Even with widespread spending cuts, overall debt rose to 87.2 per cent, the highest level since the euro was created. Separately, a survey of the euro zone's manufacturing and services sectors unexpectedly fell in April..In France, Sarkozy came in second behind Francois Hollande, a harsh critic of the spending cuts being prescribed as a way to end the region's debt crisis. Sarkozy and German leader Angela Merkel are the main architects of Europe's efforts to avoid financial catastrophe and a collapse of the region's shared currency.."To the extent that Europe has any leaders, it's very much Merkel and Sarkozy," Greenhaus said. "If Sarkozy were to lose, you'd change the leadership of Europe at arguably the worst possible time.".Europe's major stock markets plunged. France's CAC-40 index dropped 2.8 per cent. Germany's main index lost even more, 3.4 per cent..In the U.S., the Standard & Poor's 500 index lost 14 points to 1,364. The Nasdaq composite fell 37 points to 2,962..Treasury prices rose as traders shifted money into assets considered safe. The price of the 10-year Treasury note rose, pushing its yield down to 1.92 per cent from 1.96 per cent late Friday..Trouble in Europe is hurting Kellogg, which slashed its full-year profit forecast, blaming weak sales. Kellogg's stock dropped 5 per cent..Among other stocks making big moves:.— Wal-Mart Stores sank 4.6 per cent following a report in The New York Times about an alleged bribery campaign involving top executives at a Mexican subsidiary. The retailer said it was investigating for any breach of the U.S Foreign Corrupt Practices Act..— Hasbro dropped 4.6 per cent after posting a first-quarter loss on falling sales and costs tied to cutting jobs. Weak sales of "My Littlest Pet Shop" miniatures and other girl's toys were partly to blame..—SunTrust Banks rose 4.2 per cent, the most in the S&P 500 index. SunTrust reported quarterly earnings that beat analysts' estimates as fewer loans went bad. The regional bank also made more mortgage and commercial loans.

US stocks slide on economic tremors from Europe

If you missed our coverage, here are the top 10 stories of the day.

NDTV Profit

NDTV Profit

Follow Us

DOWNLOAD THE APP